Pegida march in Edinburgh falters after only '4 supporters' showed up

Anti-racism and anti-facism demonstrators in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 21 March 2015.Twitter: @unido_en_lucha

Pegida's first demonstration in Scotland appears to have flopped, with unconfirmed reports from the police that only four supporters turned out. The right wing anti-islam umbrella group, which originated in Germany, had planned a march and demonstration in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Supports of Pegida were set to march from Edinburgh's Waverley Station to a rally outside the Scottish Parliament with support from the Scottish Defence League.

A mass anti-racism march was held as a counter-protest, which included activists from Unite Against Fascism (UAF). UAF also held an anti-fascist march in Glasgow today.

There was some doubt as to whether the Pegida demonstration took place at all, because counter-demonstrators report that its supporters were not visible.

However, unconfirmed police reports that the demonstration did take place, despite the minimal turnout.

Images on social media of the counter-demonstration indicate that the Pegida demonstrators were outnumbered by at least 50:1.

Pegida began organising in Scotland recently and its Scottish organisers have said that they are in regular touch with German members, who offer support and advice.

Earlier this month a spokesman from Pegida Scotland said a group of organisers had hoped to visit Berlin soon to attend a rally to "see how it's done there" and "get some ideas".

In a Facebook post on 18 February the group said: "We have now put together a fantastic team, we hope you will be a little patient… Our mission is simple… rid our island of Islam."

A Pegida demonstration in Newcastle last month attracted 400 supporters. However, around 2,000 counter-demonstrators also turned out.

There have been mounting concern by some European governments about the rise of Pegida following a number of mass rallies. A march in Dresden, Germany, on 12 Jan, called five days after the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks in Paris, attracted 25,000 participants - the high water mark to date of support for the group.

A march in Dresden, Germany, on 12 January, called five days after the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks in Paris, attracted 25,000 participants – the high water mark to date of support for the group.